The Billionaire's Silent Wife (Ryan and Eve) novel Chapter 27

Claim

27 Lies with Teeth

Miter Rodrigo pressed the phone tighter against his ear, listening as Detective Camelo’s voice spilled through the line, casual yet sharp.

“Quick one, Miter, before you ask for a favour,” Camelo said between a yawn and a chuckle. Have you seen the girl on the Wanted ad? Thought you might, seeing as you feed half the city.

”

Rodrigo’s stomach dropped. He kept his voice calm. “That’s what I was calling to ask. What’s

all this noise about?”

Camelo sighed heavily, the kind of sigh that carried more weariness than pity. “Rich people’s problem, my friend. Straight from headquarters, top priority. Girl stepped on the wrong toes. Stole one million, eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars from the Ashbrook family and ran away. Cleared, she was the son’s wife. She is wanted.”

Rodrigo froze. His eyes flicked to Evelyn, curled on the couch, her hands clenched tight in her lap, tears still streaking her face. Her whole body trembled.

The girl who had come to his restaurant begging for a job. The one he and Kamila had clothed, housed, and adopted as their own. The one who had lifted his restaurant’s name higher with every dish she touched.

He knew, he knew in his bones, that she hadn’t stolen a thing.

“Could this be a vendetta?” Rodrigo asked slowly, careful not to sound defensive. “The Ashbrooks… they’re quite big.”

Camelo snorted. “So everyone’s saying. I guess it isn’t really over until the Ashbrooks say it’s over. Maybe she spited them, or maybe they’re just angry. You know how they are. And don’t forget, she was the driver’s daughter. A class issue, maybe. Honestly, I don’t think that money means anything to them. They just want to make the girl bleed. Sometimes these things are about pride, not cash.”

Rodrigo’s jaw tightened,

Camelo’s tone shifted, gossipy. “Serves her right, though. Marrying above her station? Always dangerous. Ends in shame more often than not.”

Rodrigo’s free hand curled into a fist, but he forced himself to stay silent.

“Anyway,” Camelo went on, “the ad will only run tonight. They’re pushing it in a few cities, but the main area of concentration is Bexlin. Westwood’s a bit far for them, though they want her

1/5

<27 Lies with Teeth

Claim

found anywhere if possible. Big bounty on her head too. I’d say they just want to drag her back, make her confess, confirm what she did. There’s a handsome reward for whoever delivers her. Between you and me, I wouldn’t mind it myself. My wife’s carrying twin boys, I’m under pressure, Miter.”

Rodrigo forced a rough laugh, hiding the rage boiling in his gut. “You’ll be fine, old friend. I’ll keep my eyes open.”

“Do that,” Camelo said, his voice fading into a chuckle. “And hey, save me a table. Word is, your place has never been better. Some exceptional hand in the kitchen, they say. Wonder who.”

“Good night, Camelo.” Rodrigo hung up, his hand trembling.

The silence in the office was suffocating.

Kamila’s eyes burned with fury. Evelyn sat stiff and pale, her tears falling silently now, her gaze locked on the floor.

“What did he say?” Kamila demanded, though she already knew.

Rodrigo lowered the phone, his voice heavy. “They branded her a thief. Say she stole one-point-eight million and ran.”

Kamila gasped softly, her hand flying to her mouth. “¡Dios mío!”

Evelyn’s breath hitched. She lifted her eyes slowly, wide and glassy. “So it’s true,” she whispered hoarsely. “My life here… it’s over.”

She broke into sobs, pressing her face into her hands.

“I’ll turn myself in,” she choked out between gasps. “It’s the only way. They’ll find me anyway. Better I go to them than drag you down with me.”

“No.” Rodrigo’s voice was sharp, commanding. He crouched in front of her, taking her wrists gently but firmly and pulling her hands away from her face. “No, niña. You will not turn yourself in. That’s exactly what they want. They want you helpless, humiliated. Not while you’re under my roof,”

“But I can’t hide forever!” Evelyn cried, her voice ragged. “How will I go out? How will I work if my face is everywhere? What if someone here recognizes me? What if, what if they come here and you lose everything because of me?”

Kamila sat beside her, gathering her trembling frame into her arms again, She stroked Evelyn’s hair, her eyes flashing with protective fire. “Take it easy, child. Remember your condition. It won’t be good for the baby.”

2/5

< 27 Lies with Teeth

Claim

Evelyn hiccupped, her sobs quieting only a little. She touched her belly again, that fragile anchor holding her back from collapse. “What baby deserves this kind of life?” she whispered bitterly.

Kamila pulled back, cupping her face again. “Don’t say that. You are innocent, and so is your child. They will not ruin you.”

Rodrigo sat back on his heels, rubbing his jaw. His voice was low, deliberate. “Tell me, Evelyn. What happened? Because you don’t look like someone who stole a million dollars. You’ve worked harder than anyone I know. You’ve never asked me for a single coin more than your pay. If you don’t tell us, how can we protect you?”

Evelyn froze, her heart lurching in her chest.

The secret she had guarded so fiercely pressed against her lips. Every instinct screamed to keep it hidden, to protect the fragile safe ground she had here. Once they knew, once they learned she was Eve Ashbrook, wife of Ryan, daughter of Steven Reynolds, they would cast her out. No one wanted to get caught in the Ashbrooks’ fire.

But there was no more hiding.

Her tears slowed, and she took a trembling breath. “All right. I’ll tell you. Everything.”

The story spilled from her in halting words, her voice cracking but steadying as she went.

She told them of her father’s blackmail, the marriage forced upon her as collateral for secrets. She told them of Ryan, once a boy who had laughed with her, then a man who froze her out, who gave her silence and scorn. She told them about the loveless nights, the unending cold, the birthdays ignored, the meals uneaten.

She told them about Nana, her grandmother, and how her death had broken her heart. She told them about the night she packed her things, left her wedding ring, and walked out without asking for a dime.

By the time she finished, Kamila’s eyes burned with tears. Her hands trembled as she pressed them to her chest.

“Your father,” Kamila hissed, her gentle voice sharpened with fury. “That man is a monster. To trade his daughter’s life for his own benefit. ¡Maldito!”

Rodrigo’s fists clenched, his face dark. “And Ryan,” he muttered, his voice a low growl. “That coward. He lies against you now to save his pride. A man too weak to hold onto a woman. with dignity resorts to destroying her name instead.”

Evelyn wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, her voice small. “I guess he’s hurt. But why

3/5

<27 Lies with Teeth

lie? Why do this? I left without demanding anything from him.”

Claim

Kamila shook her head, gripping her hand tightly. “Because men like him don’t forgive being left. They can abandon you a hundred times over, but if you dare walk away first? They will burn the world to punish you.”

Rodrigo rose to his feet, pacing like a caged lion. “We should lawyer up. If the Ashbrooks want a war, then let them see Rodrigos don’t bow.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify